Cook Islands voyaging tradition

For hundreds of years Cook Islanders have sailed the Pacific in their vaka – double-hulled ocean-going canoes) using the stars to navigate.

The Cook Islands Voyaging Society is continuing the tradition with the vaka Marumaru Atua (‘under God’s protection’).

Our ancestors had their own names for stars and constellations.

A star compass is carved into the deck of the vaka

For example the star the rest of the world called Sirius, the Mangaians named ‘Mere’, Arcturus was ‘Tautoru’ and Rigel was ‘Puaka’.
The constellation Orion was ‘Ivanui a tara’ to the Mangaians but ‘Putairi’ to the Atiuans while Pukapukans called the Southern Cross ‘Te Mata’.

The traditional navigator had to memorise the rising and setting locations of about 250 stars, differences in constellations, and understand where they were rising from on the star compass.

Imagine the thrill of seeing a constellation and knowing that somewhere in it is a star and planet with Cook Islands Maori names representing our culture and tradition.

Our star is not visible to the naked eye although it can be seen with a small telescope, but navigating using the constellation will be even more meaningful to Cook Islands voyagers.